Friday, October 21, 2016

Well, I'm alive and temperatures are above freezing so things are looking up! I don't know how October has sucked me up but it really has. I know it's annoying to blame the weather, but I'm blaming the weather. We had over two weeks of gray, cold, snowy, rainy, cold, windy weather. The two separate snowstorms that brought first 4 inches, then over 6 inches of snow a week apart in early October just really took the wind of my sails. It seems so demoralizing to wake up to winter in mid October, to have to dress everyone for snow and cold with boots and mittens, to feel trapped in my house with my kids for the next six months. It's just a tough adjustment. At least the snow has melted a lot, although still fully covers the ground at my house, and the forecast doesn't look too dismal for the next week or so. Maybe I'll pull myself out of this before winter really settles in for the long haul!

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I'm knee deep in the seasonal clothes turnover around here. I spent an hour the other day going through the thousands of shoes we have. I mean, it's not thousands obviously, but man, we have a lot of shoes. We have a whole closet devoted to children's jackets and coats. And I don't buy 5 new everything every season, but handmedowns x seasons equals so much clothing for so little a house! I was thinking about it at my kids each have at least three different types of coats depending on the weather, snow boots, rain boots, running shoes, church shoes, and usually crocs or sandals for the summer. I don't even go to crazy and buy the girl's more fashionable choices but look how fast that adds up!

The funny thing is by the time I get all the clothes organized I'll still have kids refusing to take off their shorts in the snow. Kids cling to seasons harder than I do!

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But not quite true...most of the kids have thought it a thrill there's snow on the ground and Nora insists Christmas is only a few sleeps away! Max has been out late playing in the snow peacefully which has been a complete departure for him as of late.

See, I'm trying to find the positive in all this...I really am!

{four}

I am so tired of hearing about the election and knowing it exists. And I'm Canadian. I read one thing after another about either candidate and vacillate and wonder how the other could be worse, and yet the answer is, THEY ARE WORSE! I feel personally that what I believe is so unrepresented in politics in my country that I've gotten used to it. Not that I don't still believe in the importance of politics and government, it's just I'm so very used to being discouraged and living with incompetent, corrupt, or just morally blind politicians in power. I just can't even picture what things will be like in January, although if we were really honest, we shouldn't be surprise when things turn out to be exactly the same as they are now.

{five}

I'm picking up my yarn and crochet! It feels like such a seasonal hobby for me I just can't separate it from long dark nights and snowy days. I have no desire to work with yarn in good weather. I clearly have a way to go to yarn addict/granny status. I've just started another blanket which doesn't require a lot of brain energy but feels so comforting when inside on dark evenings.

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New episode of the podcast was out this week talking about my favourite book of the summer - The Awakening of Miss Prim! I found this to be such a delight to read, while at the same time being surprised with how it wove such interesting ideas of faith into the story. You know we love our book episodes, but we hope you do too!

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I am so looking forward to next week when my husband and I are able to get away for a quick getaway by ourselves! Uninterrupted sleep, drinking hot coffee, eating at great restaurants. That's the dream! I really love how I could have a good time going anywhere with him. And that sounds incredibly sappy. It's a really great time for me to reset hopefully, and I plan on going to confession this weekend which I've felt like I've so badly needed lately. Needed resetting on all levels is what I'm aiming for!

Thursday, October 20, 2016

I've read so many amazing reviews of the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante that I had to read them...they've just been on my TBR list for a year or two now! I was instantly drawn into this story of two female friends in 1950's Naples. Growing up in a tough neighbourhood, with tragedy and violence always at their side, the girls forge a bond because of their shared intellectual gifts. At times you can't tell which girl is the brilliant friend, the enigmatic Lila or the quiet but astute narrator, Elena. It's just written in such a provoking, yet completely engrossing way - it's unlike anything I've ever read. This first book of four is on the shorter side and I just flew through it, if you like complex characters with emotional power you will love this book.

I read this book alongside Jane Steele, so the combined effect was a touch too much Jane Eyre fan fiction, but this story was surprisingly enjoyable. A descendent of Charlotte Bronte, Samantha finds herself studying at Oxford under a dashing but sarcastic tutor and realizes she's got more than a few skeletons in her family's closet that she needs to work out for herself. This book read like a good rom-com with a literary panache, I thought it was a fun but smart read.

Mike and Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse (currently out of print but in public domain, hence this terrible cover)

This was my P.G. Wodehouse read of the summer because I always need a P.G. Wodehouse in the summertime. A farcical story of two boys at boarding school it's quintessentially British. You instantly recognize the setting of quirky boys at boarding school because so many have copied Wodehouse's perfect representation. A quick read, but probably not for first time P.G. Wodehouse readers, make sure to read Jeeves first!

I've recommended this book to all my friends, and I think it will continue to be the book I recommend to practically everyone; it's just a delightful read that shows the beauty of truth in surprising ways. Miss Prim begins a new job in a small Spanish town, but not just any town, a town where all the inhabitants have a completely unique view of how life should be lived. Her employer also happens to be an intriguing, and dashing man of faith she completely misunderstands. What follows is a really enjoyable conversion story in the shape of a romantic comedy. We also discussed it on this week's new episode of the podcast, take a listen!

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller, even if the ending wasn't perfect. I thought the pacing and writing were of such a great quality that I couldn't put it down. I wouldn't recommend reading on a flight as it surrounds a plane crash involving very rich people and the resulting investigation, but if you enjoy thrillers then you'll enjoy this book. After I read this book I began watching Fargo, which is the tv show written, produced, and directed by Noah Hawley and was completely enamoured with the quality of storytelling. Obviously Hawley has some amazing gifts for writing and after watching both seasons of Fargo he's entered the hallowed ground of Matthew Weiner and Vince Gilligan of geniuses who make astounding television.

Friday, October 7, 2016

Just wanted to start this post off positively so that my laments of woes and whines is evened out somewhat.

But in reality, my husband worked through last weekend, worked at least 14 hour days, the weather was cold, grey and awful, and then I came down with a weird cold from the kids. I made it through and it definitely wasn't my worst week of parenting, because, oh boy I've had some weeks. I'm not sure if I should blame all those factors, but I just feel like crawling into bed for a few days with Netflix, books, and a big bag of yarn and pretending the outside world doesn't need me, but 5 kids, yo.

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I'm about to complain about a date night. Which is the worst, I know.

Last Saturday we went out to see Jim Gaffigan, and he was hilarious. I really recommend his show, it's start to finish laughs and it was great. And I love him.

But! As a date night for us it just was kinda ridiculous. Firstly, I was home with the kids by myself because my husband was working, I was leaving the kids with my parents who also had a bunch of things going on and I had to make sure everyone had church clothes and everyone got into the car so they could take them to Mass and then it was pouring rain all day so loading everyone turned into a fiasco. Then I raced to pick my husband up at his work, he was barely able to get away from work because things were so busy and hectic. We were about 45 minutes away from the show when I picked him up at work, we ate awful hamburgers that I had to wait a ridiculous amount of time for in the car while I raced through the city at breakneck speeds trying to get to the venue in time. I was stressed out and grumpy that things seemed to be taking so much work and effort and coordination just for us to go out for a few hours. We get there with about 2 minutes to spare, the show was great, then as soon as it was over at 8:45 we went to spend the night at my in-laws in the city because my husband was exhausted from getting up before 5 to work for 13 hours that day and to get up before 5 again the next.

I mean, I know, first world problem in a way. But it still kinda stinks when we only get out of the house alone together every 6 months or so. It's just so. much. work. I bought these tickets six months ago not knowing it was going to be such an awful time at work for him, so it definitely could have been avoided, but, it was kinda a bust.

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It's the beginning of October but it is cold. Windy and temps around freezing make things really unpleasant. We didn't get snow this week at the very least, but the kid's are already showing signs of weather rebellion and refusing to go outdoors for more than five minutes because "my nose is cold" and "I can't feel my knees!" Do you ever feel your knees, btw?? Nora brought me one of her summer dresses and said that was what she was going to wear that day and when I responded with how it was too cold outside to wear something so summery she demanded, "But I just want it to be sunny outside!" And I couldn't argue with that.

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I'm so glad there seems to be a proliferation of decent movies on Netflix because I'm going to need them. Also - the last season of The Good Wife is out so now I can finally finish/hand over my life to the Good Wife again. We're also watching Luke Cage and I think I may secretly be in love with Luke Cage.

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Since this post is almost exclusively about complaining about stuff, how about Halloween? I'm not complaining about it on a theological, moral basis at all, I'm complaining about the costumes and the need to get them. I'm officially a horrible, boring mom who would rather sit through a Presidential debate (singular though - I'm not a total heartless mother) than figure out kid's costumes. My kids are also at the stage of being horribly uncreative when it comes to costumes and so dearly want the mass marketed, ridiculously overpriced and yet cheaply made store costumes. Which you think would make my life easier except Amazon in Canada has a terrible selection, the stores in my nearest city have been sold out of the costumes my kids want to be since August, and I don't have the time or will to go to every store looking for their perfect costume x5. I just want it all to go away. I'm a Halloween grinch.

Thanksgiving weekend around here! We are helping my dad move cattle though so it'll be a working/holiday weekend. It means we'll be sticking around home for the weekend and be at my parents for dinner. We'll probably have turkey Sunday and leftovers Monday and possibly pie for every meal. And crossed fingers no snow!